My Grandfather Was a Mason

Jan 2016

Plaque on building

Freemasonry is a fraternal organization that traces its origins to the local fraternities of stonemasons of the 1400’s according to Wikipedia.  Masons are members of this organization which have been active for all these hundreds of years.  As time went by, the Masonic Lodge has changed from a group of skilled stonemasons to more of a social fraternity with members earning ranks and participating in ceremonies consisting of historic rituals. 

                My grandfather, William Barton Johnson, was a member of a Masonic Lodge. I found this clue in his 1953 obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer which listed him as a long time member, so the search was on.  On my last visit to Philadelphia in September accompanied by my cousins Suzy and Margie, we took a genealogical field trip into Philadelphia to explore our Grandfather’s roots in Freemasonry.

Philadelphia Masonic Temple

                First stop was the Philadelphia Masonic Temple, right across the street from City Hall.  The building was finished in 1873 and fills the entire block with a Medieval Norman style of architecture, which includes seven lodge rooms where they conduct their meetings.  We took a tour throughout the interior and it was spectacular, beautiful stonework, paintings and workmanship.  Each room is decorated in a different theme such as Egyptian, Oriental, Norman, Gothic, Ionic and more.  I was notably impressed by its grandeur, luxury and artistry and tried to imagine our Grandfather walking these halls to attend a meeting.  At the end of the tour there was a museum with many Masonic objects of importance such as George Washington’s Masonic Apron and then a small library.  Of course I walked into the library and asked for help locating any records mentioning our grandfather, William Barton Johnson. 

                With the assistance of several staff members, we were thrilled to discover several books referencing his membership information.  William Barton Johnson at age 24 was initiated on October 24, 1912 and was a member until his death on January 15, 1953 according to the “History of Lodge 51” reference book.  He was a member for 41 years.  When he joined, he was unmarried, still living with his mother, sister and brother, and was working for the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Ionic Hall, Lodge No. 51 meeting room

               

Lodge No. 51 met in the Ionic Hall located in the Masonic Temple, Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania, One North Broad Street in Philadelphia, PA, where they still meet today and have since 1873 when to Lodge was formed. The name of the lodge is currently “University”, because it was merged with the University of Penn lodge in 1979. This large room, at 64 feet long, 41 feet wide and 21 feet high, Ionic Hall was decorated in 1890 and takes its name from the style of architecture from Ionia, where King Ion reigned in Asia Minor.  Ionians were mostly Greek emigrants.  Refinement and elegance are characteristic of Ionic style.  The walls are painted light blue, with panels containing full-length portraits of Right Worshipful Past Grand Masters, leaders of the Masonic Lodge.  The ceiling of Ionic Hall represents heaven.  In the center shines the noon-day sun, surrounded by signs of the planets and stars.  The signs of the zodiac were often used decoratively by the masons of the Middle Ages in Europe.  The clock on the west wall is one of the oldest in the Temple.  It was made in 1874 and is still keeping time.  WB Johnson coming from very humble beginnings, must have been impressed by all the grandeur of the building and this hall.

WB Johnson was initiated on Oct 24, 1912 and became a Steward of the Lodge from 1922 to 1921.  A Steward is an appointed position by the Grand Master so after 10 years he must have made a positive impression to be placed into this ceremonial position.  His duties consisted of preparing candidates during rituals and escorting them into the lodge room and assisting the Senior Deacon during ceremonies.  He would carry a rod, atop which is a jewel of their office.  The rod represents England’s Loar High steward’s rod in the House of Lords. 

According to the published book, “Memoirs of Lodge No. 51, F. & A. M. of Pennsylvania”, William B Johnson was noted for his good citizenship as stated in the paragraph below:

Memoirs published 1941

                That a Freemason is a good citizen it is unnecessary to state, but nevertheless credit is due to P. M. Bro. Charles H Woodruff, Jr. and Bros. Henry C Van Tine, William B. Johnson, Samuel P. Glenn and Andrew T Brown for the unusual labors performed by them in aid of their employers in connection with the so-called “Outlaw” railroad strike which occurred early in 1920.

                During 1920, Pennsylvania Railroad along with other Railroads in the country were in the mists of difficulties regrading labor unions, wage and benefits disputes and governmental regulations.  Many unionized shops went on strike and crippled the regional commuter and cargo systems.  Business men and University students offered to be strikebreakers and work as fireman on commuter trains to allow the trains to run.  WB must have been involved in working through this strike until it was resolved later on.

                In the same Memoir, written in 1941, was a biography of WB Johnson:

                William Barton Johnson, the son of Joseph Oscar and Olena (Michelson) Johnson, was born March 27, 1888 in Port Norris, New Jersey.  He received his education in the public schools of Camden, the Camden Commercial College, and Peirce School, Philadelphia. 

                In 1905 he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad as a clerk in the Treasury Department, and advanced first to the position of Paymaster, then to Pay-Inspector, and later to Chief Pay-Inspector, which office he has held since 1927.

                On December 18, 1920 he married in Camden, New Jersey, Ethel Ricarda Bonsor, daughter of Arthur Henry Bonsor.  They have one daughter and four sons, Margaret Marie, Barton Bonsor, Arthur Henry, Robert Peter and William Richard Johnson.

                He is a member of the Union League of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Golf Club, Frazer, Pa.

                He became a member of “51” on October 24, 1912, and was a Steward of the Lodge from 1922 to 1931.

  

After speaking with some Masons at the Masonic Temple and learning a little about the Masonic philosophies and culture, I suspect he joined this organization to belong to something.  Freemasonry was hated by many religions, but it did have a strong social attraction for networking during that period of time.  He was not a religious man and did not actively participate in a church that I know of.  Presumably he wanted to get ahead in his career and getting into Lodge #51 gave him contacts with other railroaders and men of distinction.  I believe he was trying to leave his modest childhood behind and was motivated to climb the economic and social ladders. By joining the Masons, he exposed himself to more sophisticated men, with possibilities of career advancement and social improvement which he did achieve in his career and by marrying Ethel, a young socialite of the time. 

                Suzy, Margie and I had a wonderful time exploring our grandfather’s footsteps in this rather unknown part of life.  WB seemed to keep his membership activities a secret, and perhaps his membership in this organization did help him with his career advancement.  I guess we will never know.   We will have to take another genealogical journey sometime soon to find out more about our family's roots.  I always love to hear your observations, stories and opinions about our family, drop me an email.